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Earlier this week, an independent theater group from Bratislava, Biele Divadlo (“white theater” in Slovak), came to Oslo for the first time on a study tour focused on Ibsen. They had made contact with Grusomhetens Teater Producer Brendan McCall earlier in the year, to help coordinate a number of activities and workshops as part of their “School on Wheels” during 12-16 September 2016, in preparation for their upcoming staging of The Wild Duck.

Their trip to Norway was made possible thanks to the generous support of an EEA grant, the Slovak Ambassador to Norway Mr. Frantisek Kasicky, and the Slovak Institute Fond na Podporu Umenia.

During their visit, actors and students with Biele Divadlo were able to present a staged reading of their play Kym kohut nezaspieva (While the Cock Shall not Crow), a dramatic work highlighting the horrors of war on a personal, human scale. McCall was able to see this showing and meet some of the members of the group, who were filled with talent, charm, and an enthusiasm for learning.

The following day, members of the group took a mini-workshop with Grusomhetens Teater. Biele Divadlo took some courses in composition and improvisation with Mr. McCall in the morning, and then physical actor training with Grusomhetens Teater artistic director Lars Øyno in the afternoon. Over 25 participants attended each session.

Later that same day, McCall escorted the group to the Ibsen Museum on Arbins gate, where Biele Divadlo got a special tour from the museum´s leader, Erik Edvardsen.

The following day (Friday), the actors from Bratislava attended an open rehearsal of Svanhild, the 1860 prose fragment by Henrik Ibsen which Grusomhetens Teater staged the world-premiere of in 2014. The company was flying to Tokyo the following day, for its 2nd engagement at Theater X and performances 22-26 September.

Both groups hope that they may work together in the future on more workshops and projects.

Their visit was also reported in The Nordic Page, and you may read a more detailed summary of Biele Divadlo´s visit to Norway may be found here.